A Chinese Empire in the Making?: Questioning Myths from the Agri-Food Sector in Ghana

While China’s expanding presence in Africa is often framed as a new project in empire building, the Chinese authorities explain their engagement on the continent as simple ‘South-South cooperation’. Taking the agricultural sector in Ghana as a case study, this article challenges both narratives and argues that Chinese farmers in Africa are not a ‘silent army’ (either malevolent or benevolent), but instead are largely precarious individuals attempting to meet their livelihood needs. Western media and research often frame China’s expanding presence in African countries as a new project in empire building on the continent. The Chinese government, on the contrary,